Scaredy-Wolf
by cellarprincess
Summary: In which Stiles takes Derek on a Valentine's Day date that was meant for Lydia. Cute and fluffy!


The halls of Beacon Hills High were buzzing with activity, flooded with the squeals and giggles of excited teenagers mixed in with the occasional sob of someone running by in tears. Rejection was tough. That's right, it was Valentine's Day. And this year, Stiles was finally going to get his girl.

He peered from his hiding place behind a row of lockers, waiting for Lydia to make her appearance so he could ask her out on the way to the cafeteria. He'd even brought her a bouquet of white roses. Stiles had everything planned out, from the moment he'd pick Lydia up at her house to when he'd suavely kiss her good night on her doorstep. It would be perfect, he just knew it.

"She's going to say 'no'," Derek said darkly from behind Stiles, who jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"Don't do that!" Stiles screamed, gulping down air, his little heart racing. "I think you get off on sneaking up on people." Derek just pursed his lips. It could have been the light but he was sure he saw a twitch of a smile at the corner of Derek's mouth. Stiles turned back to scanning the hallway.

"You don't know she'll say 'no'. Wait, you don't even know who I'm going to ask!" Stiles said craning his head around to look at Derek, who just rolled his eyes. "Okay, good point, I'm not at all subtle. I don't think it's my genetics to be subtle. But now that she knows I exist and that I'm a bad ass...kinda, and with Jackson gone, it's practically in the bag!"

"She's going to say 'no'," Derek repeated. "I know how these things go."

"Sure, I bet poor, handsome, Derek has never had a real Valentine in his _whole life_," Stiles muttered. Derek's eyes flicked downward, a twinge of sadness breaking his resolve for a fraction of a second. Stiles cleared his throat. "So, um, what are you doing here anyway?"

"I need to talk to Scott about...something," he said, his face returned to it's usual grumpy composure.

"Good luck with that. It's Valentine's Day, Derek, where do _you _think he is?"

Scott, and Allison, had both been missing the whole day and it wasn't hard for Stiles to guess why. It wasn't like they didn't already eye-bang each other every moment they were together – Valentine's Day was just another excuse to run off in to the woods to get it on. Stiles wasn't jealous at all, nope, nope, nope. Now, if only Lydia would show up...

"So, do you have a lucky lady to take out tonight?" Stiles asked.

"No," Derek grunted.

"That sucks..." Stiles said. "Oh! Oh, there she is!" He grinned, abandoning Derek behind the lockers to run over to Lydia.

"Good bye, Stiles," Derek whispered, before turning to leave. Stiles didn't even notice. He was too busy focusing on his soon-to-be date, who was deep in conversation with Danny.

"Lydia! Hey, hi, how are you," Stiles bumbled out. Lydia turned to look at Stiles, arching her eyebrow at his intrusion in to their conversation.

"Yes? What do you want?" She asked, eyeing his bouquet of roses.

"I was wondering if maybe you would, you know, be my Valentine and let me take you out tonight?" he said, handing her the flowers, his voice cracking.

"Hmm...no, I don't think so."

"Why not? What's wrong with Stiles?" His lip turned down in a small pout as Danny smirked from behind Lydia. She looked Stiles up and down, then hooked her arm through Danny's.

"'No' means 'no', Stiles," she called out as they traipsed away down the hall, Lydia still carrying Stiles' bouquet.

He sighed. So that didn't go exactly as planned. Once again, Stiles was going to be alone on Valentine's Day and this time it hurt more than ever. Usually, he and Scott would do something together – in a very non-romantic way – but now...now everyone he knew was already seeing someone. Well, not everyone, but everyone that he wasn't either terrified of or wasn't his dad. For the first time since he got pulled in to all this werewolf business, Stiles was truly lonely.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on forever. The general cheer and ostentatious decorations all around school bombarding Stiles just served to drive the nail of disappointment deeper and deeper, he almost couldn't take it. So, when the final bell _finally_ rang, Stiles bolted from his seat and left the school as quickly as he could.

It wasn't until he was nearly home that an idea occurred to him, one that both frightened and excited him. Maybe he wouldn't be alone tonight after all. Maybe Derek wouldn't be, either.

The moment he got in to his house, Stiles rushed up to his room and stripped down to his boxers. He'd laid the clothes he planned on wearing for his date out on his bed that morning, taking care to choose something that he felt Lydia might actually find presentable on him. It seemed to hardly matter what he wore now, but he put it all on anyway, out of principle. If this was to be a date, the least he could do was look the part.

Fully dressed, looking quite dapper in a striped button-front shirt, red cardigan, and black pants, Stiles checked himself out in the mirror. He smiled; he didn't look half bad, not half bad at all. He'd even left a few of his shirt buttons undone to reveal a bit of his chest. He made some silly faces at himself, winked, and ran back downstairs to his Jeep.

On the way to Derek's, Stiles made a quick stop at the florist's. To his surprise, the whole place appeared to have been hit by a tornado. He looked morosely at the few flowers here and there that were too wilted or damaged for anyone to want. This just wouldn't do.

"Sorry, love, we're a bit cleared out," said a middle-aged blonde woman from behind the register.

"Do you have anything that isn't super wilted? It doesn't have to be fancy," Stiles asked pleadingly.

"Well, let me see...there is one order we have that was never picked up. Should still be fresh. Seeing as we're about to close up for the night and you seem like a nice kid, I'll let you take it."

Stiles thanked her profusely when she brought the flowers out of the back room. It was a simple arrangement of blue orchids and they smelled wonderful. Stiles couldn't believe his luck.

Orchids safely put away in back of the Jeep, Stiles drove the rest of the way to the Hale house humming loudly to himself. He still couldn't believe he was about to do what he was about to do. As he pulled up to the imposing burnt husk of a house that Derek called home, Stiles wondered if he really did have a death wish.

There was no light coming from any of the windows and Stiles was grateful that dusk had only just fallen. He wanted to be able to gauge Derek's reaction as clearly as possible. Stiles raised a hand to knock on the front door, which opened before he'd even rapped a knuckle on it.

"What do you want, Stiles?" Derek grumbled.

"Well, you were right, she said 'no'. so I thought, since you've never had a real Valentine, that I'd...take you out," Stiles said, voice trailing off as Derek's face hardened in to a glare.

"Is this a joke?"

"N-no! I'm being serious!" Stiles grinned up at him. "It'll be good for you."

"Go home, Stiles."

"Stop being such a sourwolf and get out here. I'm taking you on a date and that's the end of it."

Derek's eyes widened, reflecting Stiles' own surprise at his demanding tone. He'd never spoken to Derek like that. Stiles squinted, body tightened, ready to be tossed roughly off the porch. But Derek didn't throw any punches. He merely sighed, grabbed his leather jacket, and closed the door behind him.

Stiles lead the way back to the car, aware of Derek's constant gaze on his back. He was surprised Derek hadn't demanded they take his car rather than the Jeep but he kept his mouth shut. Derek climbed in to the passenger seat and buckled himself in.

"Where are we going?" Derek asked, sounding far less confident then he looked.

"You'll see. I have a whole night planned for us," Stiles said, smiling at Derek as they drove off.

"I should at least be the one driving," Derek said, staring out the window.

"And why is that?"

"Because I am...you are...you know..."

"I'll have you know, I can be very manly if I want to be...sometimes. And I'm fully capable of being a take-you-on-a-date kind of guy. Stop complaining, you can drive next time." Derek raised an eyebrow at that statement but kept his mouth shut. Stiles was still smiling.

After a short, slightly awkward drive, they arrived at the restaurant that Stiles had made special reservations for, months in advance. It wasn't an overly fancy place but it was still nice, certainly nicer than both Stiles and, he assumed, Derek were used to.

Derek was the first out of the Jeep. He rocked on the balls of his feet, staring up at the sunset, waiting for Stiles to get out. Stiles quietly grabbed the orchids from the back seat and went to stand by Derek's side.

"Here, these are for you. Happy Valentine's Day!" Stiles said. Derek took the flowers from Stiles gently, looking at him quizzically. He held them up to his nose, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply.

"Thank you, they're great," he said.

"What kind of manly man would I be if I didn't bring my date some flowers?" Stiles smirked. "C'mon, let's go. I'm starving!" Stiles scampered up the steps and opened the door for Derek.

After receiving odd glaces from the _maître d_', which Stiles did his best to ignore, they were seated across from each other in a private corner of the restaurant. Derek, who had taken his leather jacket off and hung it on the back of his chair, laid his flowers down on the table and studied his menu seriously. Stiles didn't take long to pick something out and ended up watching Derek from under his eyelids. It was kind of, well, _cute_ how intently Derek focused on things.

"You're staring," Derek said, not looking up from his menu.

"Haha, sorry...you're just so stern looking!" Stiles said, reddening. "Lighten up! Have fun! I didn't bring you out to be all grumpy." Derek didn't respond but instead set down his menu and motioned for the waitress.

"My name is Emily and I'll be your server this evening," she said, smiling. "What can I get started for you?"

As she took their order, Emily did nothing to hide her interest in Derek. Stiles watched as she leaned in further over the table to give Derek a better view of her cleavage, ogling at the way his t-shirt did little to contain his solid, muscle-bound body. Derek, however, didn't even glance at her. Instead, he ordered a rare steak and a glass of wine not once looking away from Stiles, which made Stiles blush down to his toes. The way Derek looked at him was...different than usual, softer perhaps. Stiles wasn't sure at all why he was tingling or why Derek just looked so damn good suddenly.

Emily cleared her throat. "Sir? Your order?" Stiles' blush deepened. Had she been talking to him this whole time?

"Err, yeah...I'll have the lobster ravioli in the crème sauce. Please."

She thanked them and left, looking a little disappointed at the lack of attention. Derek was still watching Stiles, who grinned nervously.

"So...what did you need to talk to Scott about so urgently that you couldn't wait until after school?" Stiles asked, shifting in his seat.

"Nothing. Just had a question for him. It doesn't matter anymore."

"C'mon, I want to know! Is something going on? Should I be worried?" Stiles' eyes went wide.

"No, everything is fine. Really, it was nothing."

Stiles looked down at the napkin on his lap and toyed with the edges. He hated how secret Derek was, like it would kill the guy to let anyone in just a little. He heard Derek sigh and begin to fiddle around in his jacket pockets.

"Stiles...I needed to ask Scott about this," Derek said, holding up a small box, wrapped in dark red wrapping paper.

"What is it?" Stiles asked as Derek slid the box toward him across the table.

"It's for you." His voice quivered, it actually quivered.

"Oh..." Stiles said shyly, studying the box. "Should I open it now?"

Derek nodded and seemed to hold his breath as Stiles unwrapped the gift. Stiles' mind was racing. _Derek Hale_ was giving _him_ a present. On _Valentine's Day._ It was almost too much to take in.

Inside the box, sitting neatly on a bed of tissue paper, was a thin steel chain coiled around a pendant. It was a triskelion.

"I wasn't sure if you would even wear it. But I wanted you to have it, as sort of a token. Something that's part of me."

"But you hate me." Stiles ran his fingertips over the smooth spirals of the pendant. It was solid, but not too heavy, and looked old.

"I know I come off a bit strongly– "

"Understatement of the year," Stiles said, interrupting.

" –but I don't hate you," Derek continued. "I'm just not good at letting people in. Every time I do, they get hurt."

"So why now? And why me?"

"It's Valentine's Day," Derek said. "And, even though I am not technically your alpha, I still consider you part of the pack." Derek paused, gauging Stiles' reaction. "You don't realize how attractive you are, do you, Stiles?"

Okay, he had to be dreaming. That had to be it. There was no way that murderous, grumpy, alpha Derek found Stiles attractive. No way in hell.

"This isn't real, is it? I am at home, asleep, right now, and this is all some crazy, crazy fucked up dream." Stiles laughed, beginning to stand up. "Great job, Stiles, can't even dream about anyone but Derek, even on V-day."

"You're not dreaming," Derek said, just as their food arrived. "Wait, you dream about me?"

"Oh, god, my mouth is getting me in to trouble," Stiles said, trying to ignore Derek's smirk. "Not that kind of trouble, you perv!"

Derek let out a laugh, grinning widely, his eyes crinkling at the edges. Stiles felt like a puddle of pale, melted in the warmth of Derek's smile. It was the first time Stiles had seen him genuinely laugh and it was the most attractive thing he'd ever seen. Poor Lydia had nothing on Derek Hale's smile.

They began to eat, casting quick glances at each other. Stiles hadn't been lying, he was starving. He wolfed down his food quickly while Derek took his time, savoring every bite.

"Are you going to put it on?" Derek asked, pointing at the triskelion with his fork. Stiles pushed his empty plate away, picked up the necklace and carefully pulled it over his head. The pendant laid just above his heart and felt cool, even through his clothes.

"It suits you," Derek said proudly.

Stiles felt one of Derek's legs stretch out and rubbed up against his under the table. Goosebumps patterned Stiles' body, his heart beat quickened. Fluke or not, Derek was not breaking their touch and Stiles wasn't about to point that out.

Derek finished his meal and they both ordered dessert. Now that Derek seemed to be opening up a little more, the conversation flowed freely as Stiles bombarded Derek with questions about anything and everything he could think of. Stiles' leg was starting to cramp from being in the same position for so long but he was loathe to break the hidden physical contact he had with Derek. The occasional bumps and nudges from Derek's leg, which Stiles had finally started to reciprocate, totally made it worth the pain, as Stiles' shy little smiles made ever so apparent. The sexual tension growing between them could have been cut with a knife.

The waitress returned with their check, which caused a tiny verbal skirmish between the two boys about who would pay. Stiles won, as, he explained, he was the one taking _Derek_ on a date and thus he would just have to deal with it.

"Okay, I have one more stopped planned for us tonight," Stiles said, standing up. Derek raised an eyebrow but followed suit.

"And where might we be going?" Derek asked.

"Just wait and you'll see," Stiles said, and winked.

They drove a few miles out of town, Stiles chattering away at a mostly-silent Derek. At some point during their drive, Derek had slid his hand on to Stiles' thigh and there it had remained the whole trip. He would occasionally squeeze gently, each time making Stiles jump and redden a little as he tripped over his words. Derek grinned at each little blush and mumble.

Eventually, they turned off on to a scarcely visible dirt road that was heavily lined with trees. As they drove in deeper, Stiles grew less and less talkative. He seemed withdrawn, Derek noticed, as he pulled to a stop in front of a large fallen tree that blocked the road, overgrown with weeds. Derek rubbed Stiles' thigh reassuringly then moved to unfasten his seat belt.

"We have to walk the rest of the way," Stiles said, getting out of the car, "it's just a little bit up the road."

In silence, they walked in complete darkness, occasionally brushing against each others arms. The air around them was still and cool and Stiles was grateful for the cardigan he'd decided to wear. A crescent moon shone down on them, not a cloud in the sky to hide behind, surrounded by flickering stars.

The road narrowed in to a thin walking path before it opened out to a clearing in the woods. There was a lake there, much to Derek's surprise. It reflected the moon like a giant mirror inlaid in a frame of earth, stone, and reed.

Stiles led him to a cluster of large stones that formed an overhang above the water. He clambered up the largest stone, Derek pushing him up from behind so he wouldn't fall. They sat down next to each other, letting their feet dangle just above the water's surface. Around them, crickets chirped softly.

"My mom used to bring me here when I was little," Stiles said, breaking the silence. "It's eerie being out here again, I haven't come since she..." Derek turned to look at Stiles.

"She would pick me up from school and we'd spend the whole afternoon here. It was always quiet; we were the only ones here. My dad would come, too, if he wasn't working. Everything was so simple then. Things were good. I wasn't always scared like I am now," Stiles' voice cracked as he turned away so Derek wouldn't see the tear running down his cheek. Derek wrapped his arm around Stiles' shoulder, squeezing him gently, pulling him closer to his side.

"You were going to share this with Lydia," Derek said softly. "I'm sorry it's me here instead."

"What? No, I'm glad you're here." Looking over at Derek, Stiles sniffled a little, clearing his throat. "She wouldn't understand anyway. I don't know why I thought she could. She would have hated this." Stiles laughed, looking up at the stars, sniffing again. "I'm a fool."

"You're not a fool, Stiles. A little too optimistic, maybe, but not a fool. It's your optimism that's saved us all, and you, the most. You see the good in people, even when there isn't much of it to see."

"Thank you," Stiles said, his voice husky. "I don't think I could have handled tonight alone."

"I don't think I could have either."

They swung their feet above the water, Stiles leaning in closer to Derek's warm body as he held him tight. They watched themselves, mirrored in the lake, each secretly staring at the others reflection. Stiles couldn't help but think that they looked strikingly good next to each other.

"Stiles, I..." Derek started, but his voice caught in his throat as Stiles turned his head and looked directly in to Derek's eyes, so close that their lips were just inches apart. With a sly little smile, Stiles leaned forward and brushed his lips tenderly against Derek's.

It took only milliseconds for Derek to respond, rushing his hands up behind Stiles' head and pulling them in to a kiss that was the definition of passionate. Tongues twisting, hot breaths panted, they explored and caressed each other, becoming a single, fiery being. They were lost in each other and they never wanted to be found.

They were so absorbed in each other that they didn't notice until water splashed around them that they'd fallen off the rocks and in to the lake. Stiles let out a yelp, detaching himself from Derek and splashing about. Derek burst out laughing and Stiles couldn't help but join in. Derek pulled Stiles back in to his arms and beamed down at him.

"You were saying?" Stiles murmured.

"What? Oh, yeah. I was about to say: I'm glad you asked me to come out with you. I don't know how long it would have taken me to muster up the courage on my own," Derek replied, pressing the tip of his nose against Stiles', wiggling it back and forth. Stiles giggled.

"If you had given me some kind of hint we could have done this sooner!"

"I know, I've been kicking myself for that all night."

"Scaredy-wolf," Stiles said with a grin. "Now, how about we get out of this water? I can't feel my toes."

Derek helped Stiles out of the frigid water carefully. Stiles' teeth were chattering but he didn't seem to mind. He was too focused on the sopping wet man standing before him who looked just, should he say, _adorable_? Yes, that was the word. Derek looked simply adorable with his hair soaked and dripping.

"Well this should be a very soggy drive home," Derek said with a grimace.

"I have some clothes in the car we can change in to, c'mon," Stiles said and, without asking, laced his fingers through Derek's and headed back toward the jeep. Their shoes squeaked and squelched with every step and Stiles was reminded again of his trips with his mother. This time, though, he wasn't met with sadness. This time he felt whole and Derek was entirely to thank.

Once they reached the car, Stiles dug around in the jeep until he found clothes for the both of them. He got bashful, however, and had to run behind the car so Derek wouldn't see him change. Stiles put on his old gym clothes that, thankfully, hadn't been worn that day so they didn't smell, at least not to him, and he hoped that Derek's keen senses wouldn't pick up anything foul.

When he was fully changed, he got back in to the car, where Derek was already dressed and waiting for him. Derek, who looked like the hulk in Stiles' too-tight clothing, immediately took Stiles' hand in his and didn't let go until they pulled up in front of the old Hale house.

Standing outside Derek's front door, Stiles could tell they were both hesitant to say goodbye. So much had changed in the past few hours, all for the better, that it almost felt like a dream. Stiles held his triskelion, changing it's angle so the moonlight danced around its edges.

"How long have you been waiting to give me this?" Stiles asked.

"Since you saved my life in the pool. That night confirmed everything I thought about you," Derek said, running his fingers across Stiles' cheek and down to his jawline. Stiles' chest fluttered.

"I think I'm in a state of shock. This has been amazing, but still, woah. Can we do this again?"

"We had better," Derek said, and pushed Stiles up against the door frame, kissing him deeply.

* * *

Stiles drove home, showered, got in to his pajamas, and crawled in to bed in a complete state of bliss. Time was slowed and every little thing felt perfect. He was smiling so much that he was surprised his face hadn't started hurting yet. The night had turned out better than he could ever have imagined.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep he heard his window open and felt someone crawl in to bed with him. Derek, still wearing Stiles' clothes, pressed his chest against Stiles' back and wrapped his arms around his torso. He nuzzled his nose in to Stiles' soft neck and let out a contented sigh. Stiles thought he heard Derek say something, as he slipped in to sleep. He couldn't be sure but it sounded like "I love you."

* * *

**Just a little fic for Valentine's Day. I hope you all like it! Please let me know what you think, I kind of don't know what to think of it, myself. You're all awesome and happy Valentine's Day!**


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